House Republican leaders have launched the most serious challenge to the war-making power of the presidency in more than a decade, proposing to cut off funding for U.S. direct military engagement in Libya.

The funding cutoff — a stronger rebuke from Republicans than originally planned — reflects a desire among rank-and-file Republicans to take a harder line against a mission they don’t like and a president who they believe has exceeded his authority by flouting the War Powers Act.

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“Members had widely divergent views on what should be done but generally leaned toward getting out completely,” a GOP source said after a special closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference on Wednesday led to the decision to shift gears.

GOP leaders still plan to hold a separate vote on a “use of force” resolution authorizing the Libya mission — a resolution they expect will fail — that would be a clear sign to the president that the House does not support his policy.

These twin votes in the House, expected Friday, represent a historic showdown over President Barack Obama’s authority as the commander in chief and, more broadly, over the balance of power between Congress and the presidency on national security policy. Whatever the outcome, the era of an acquiescent Congress handing war-making authority to the president appears to be over.

The new bill, which was still being written late Wednesday, would “restrict funds for the remainder of the fiscal year but in a responsible way,” said Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner. That means that the military would still be allowed to participate in a role supporting the NATO-led mission through noncombat activities.

Still, there’s an odd dichotomy in the funding-limitation bill: It represents both a bold, symbolic assertion of congressional power and an explicit endorsement of much of the existing mission.

Boehner raised the option of voting to prohibit funding at the top of Wednesday’s Republican Conference meeting, and the decision to go in that direction reflects the influence of a set of House Republicans who want to deliver a strong rebuke to Obama. But in both versions — the initial resolution and the new bill — Boehner has been careful to include exemptions designed to ensure that America meets its obligations to NATO.

“I think he’s struggling here to do what’s right in terms of our allies, and I think he’s doing everything he can to help the president, who has put him in a bad spot,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.).

While Boehner’s camp rejects the notion that the speaker is throwing the president a lifeline — they frame it in terms of NATO — Cole said the president would very likely have gotten the support he needed had he asked Congress to authorize U.S. action in Libya in the first place.

Let's face it. The GOP has a clearly stated goal of doing everything it can to hurt Obama, no matter how many people get hurt in the process. The only reason the warhawks have suddenly turned into chicken hawks is that they feel they can hurt Obama. These are not honest or sincere objections, they are coldly calculated, cynical GOP machinations.

Let the Republicans curtail the war powers of the President. Since Republicans are more likely to start a war or other type of action using military force, this will come in handy when there's a Republican President and he starts a conflict in order to start military action. The Democrats will be able to shut off funding just like the Republicans want to do now on President Obama.

Since Republicans are more likely to start a war or other type of action using military force, this will come in handy when there's a Republican President and he starts a conflict in order to start military action.

I wish that were true, but the American public has a very short memory, and the Republicans are banking on the fact that in six months no one will remember this ever even happened. This is just a lot of political posturing and just another way the GOP distracts the public and puts up roadblocks juts for partisan purposes. This will never get thorugh the Senate.

This has nothing to do with "trying to hurt Obama", "a war they (Republican's) don't like, or even "curtailing the President's power to wage war". It has every thing to do with the separation of powers and the overreach of the President in ignoring the LAW, ie the WAR POWERS ACT. This is a bipartsan effort to assert congressional power, and not be just a rubber stamp for this or any other President.

Let's face it. The GOP has a clearly stated goal of doing everything it can to hurt Obama, no matter how many people get hurt in the process. The only reason the warhawks have suddenly turned into chicken hawks is that they feel they can hurt Obama. These are not honest or sincere objections, they are coldly calculated, cynical GOP machinations.

wow...seems like you forget how many democraps were crucifying Bush during his entire two terms as the Commander in Chief...I guess the real issue was that Pelosi never had the stones in her jockstrap to challenge when she was the speaker...

The truth is that Bi-partisan support has become (always been) a myth between the two parties. The president never included the GOP in any discussions..or should i say the few times he met with the minorities leadership, he came back to the american people with "they can sit in the backseat" crap...he never intended on using thier ideas from the start because "they drove the car in the ditch"...Etc...Etc...so he is the Arbiter of Partisan Politics. The GOP see some chinks in his Armor for re-election and they are attacking just as the Liberal Party would if the tables are turned over. Politics is a dirty business and so far it's been only the Liberals that have been blasting the GOP in the "Package" below the belt. It's time for the GOP to grow a set and fight back equally.

But you know this will fail...as they already know, because the GOP controls the house only.

It has every thing to do with the separation of powers and the overreach of the President in ignoring the LAW, ie the WAR POWERS ACT. This is a bipartsan effort to assert congressional power, and not be just a rubber stamp for this or any other President.

Exactly and putting it in relation to NATO when Gates admitted we ARE NATO does not give me a warm feeling.

Bush at least had Congress' support; obama never bothered. I was furious with Bush and have no liking for this either. I hope they both deny funding. I want to see every signature that supports any dollars spent on this.

Other presidents have been bad enough but obama acts like a kid with a new toy, just can't wait to try it out. He's trigger happy. Bombs should be the last resort, not the "democracy by threat" resort.

Flaunting the War Powers Act is no big deal, since it seems to be in conflict with our Constitution. On the other hand, President Obama has over-reached militarily, like most US presidents of recent decades. Only Congress can declare war and only US presidents can ask Congress to do so. We need to get back to the Constitution on this score. This Republican-led move in the House is over respect and power, with a super-heavy dose of political game-playing distorting it. Even if the Boehner-led resolution passes the House, it will never get a vote in the Senate. I guess Republicans have to do something to kill time while pretending they are doing our business while on the clock. This is a distraction from the glaring fact Boehner has introduced no jobs bills and doesn't plan to (even though Republicans ran on a pro-jobs platform in 2010).

The GOP is not challenging anything! This is nothing more than another Republican kabuki dance to keep its troops happy. If they truly thought that Obama is breaking the law, then there is only one alternative: impeachment!

It would have been better if Congress had impeached Obama on his abuses of power, including his dictatorial claim that he can order the assassination of Americans, but I would settle for impeaching him for jaywalking if that is what it took to restore the Constitution.

Seems Obama's refusal to face the congress and make his point of why bombing the belated bejesus out of Libya would be beneficial to the US is now is proving to be political costly to this inept novice golfing dweeb. Instead of declaring "war" on Lybia while dithering and vacationing in SA with Michelle the Mooch he should have been facing the American people with congressional approval in hand and giving an explanation of why we should spend billions of tax payers dollars making small Libyan sand hills out of big ones. Now he is bringing us near a constitutional crisis...just in time for the election cycle.

Along with his gun-running DOJ and his criminally run and inspired financial department Obama is proving to be a better and more successful criminal than Al Capone could have ever dreamed of being. Certainly the pile of murdered dead bodies resulting from the DOJ's gun running surpasses anything that capone could have managed.

Yahoo....say Bernanke...won't those printing press run any faster? We need help out here!

The Republicans, who have given us endless wars, and the 435-plus, GOP-approved war-profiteers in Iraq and Afghanistan, who failed in their nation-building while posting $8 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse while being protected from oversight and prosecution by the GOP in Congress, are apparently not making enough money on our NATO war effort in Libya. The Bush-regime crooks also stole $6.6 billion in money slated for the Iraqi people and Iraq claims there is $18 billion missing.

Considering, how the draft-dodging, chicken hawks planned, directed, and horribly mismanaged their oil-driven war efforts resulting in 6,000 Americans killed; 45,000 casualties; 400,000 PTSD cases expected to go to 700,000; thousands of traumatic brain injuries; 900 military suicides; a lifetime of VA care, misery and suffering for vets and their families; 275,000-plus innocent civilians killed; over six million suffering and dying war refugees; and the future of America mortaged to potential enemy Communist China, the Republicans' track record on military exploitation, bribery (increased pay, benefits, $58 billion in Tri-Care health insurance at $460 per year for lifers over and above the VA), and manipulation shows how twisted these military-industrial-congressional porkers are. Republicans and the baggies are better at wrapping themselves in the American flag rather than actually serving militarily under it.